The Vatican Information Service is a news service, founded in the Holy See Press Office, that provides information about the Magisterium and the pastoral activities of the Holy Father and the Roman Curia...[+]

VATICAN CITY, JUN 20, 2005 (VIS) - The Holy Father appointed Fr. Ghislain de Rasilly S.M., provincial vicar of the Marist Fathers for the Pacific Ocean, as bishop of Wallis and Futuna (area 256, population 14,987, Catholics 14,687, priests 10, religious 42), French Overseas Territories. The bishop-elect was born in Juvardeil, France, in 1943 and ordained a priest in 1971. He succeeds Bishop Lolesio Fuahea, whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.

On Saturday, June 18, it was made public that he:

- Appointed Fr. Juan Carlos Vera Plasencia M.S.C, regional superior for Peru of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart, as bishop prelate of the territorial prelature of Caraveli (area 29,229, population 115,000, Catholics 105,000, priests 14, religious 62), Peru. The bishop-elect was born in Trujillo, Peru, in 1961 and ordained a priest in 1988. He succeeds Bishop Bernhard Kuhnel Langer M.S.C., whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same territorial prelature the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.

- Appointed Fr. Audilio Aguilar Aguilar of the clergy of Santiago de Veraguas, Panama, and pastor of the parish of St. Michael the Archangel, as bishop of Colon - Kuna Yala (area 8,167, population 248,000, Catholics 178,000, priests 32, religious 60), Panama. The bishop-elect was born in Canazas, Panama, in 1963, and ordained to the priesthood in 1990. He succeeds Bishop Carlos Maria Ariz Bolea C.M.F., whose resignation from the pastoral care of the same diocese the Holy Father accepted, upon having reached the age limit.

- Accepted the resignation from the pastoral care of the diocese of Huancavelica, Peru, presented by Bishop William Dermott Molloy McDermott, upon having reached the age limit. He is succeeded by Coadjutor Bishop Isidro Barrio Barrio.NER:RE/.../... VIS 20050620 (310)

"Cardinal Walter Kasper, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, will be in Moscow from June 20 to 23, 2005, in order to continue the dialogue with the Orthodox Patriarchate which began on the occasion of the solemn inauguration of the pontificate of Benedict XVI."OP/ORTHODOX PATRIARCHATE/MOSCOW:KASPER VIS 20050620 (80)

VATICAN CITY, JUN 19, 2005 (VIS) - Pope Benedict, before praying the noon Angelus with the pilgrims in St. Peter's Square, spoke of tomorrow's celebration of the United Nations-sponsored World Day of the Refugee, noting that this day "is to keep attention focused on the problems of those who are forced to leave their homeland."

The Pope said that "the theme this year - 'The Courage to be a Refugee' - accents the strength of spirit needed by those who must leave everything, sometimes even their family, to escape serious difficulties and dangers. The Christian community feels close to those who live in this painful condition: it tries to support them and, in different ways, demonstrate love and interest, translated into concrete gestures of solidarity so that each person who is far from his homeland feels that the Church is their homeland where no one is a stranger."

"The loving attention of Christians towards those in difficulty and their commitment for a more solidary society are continually nourished by active and aware participation in the Eucharist," said the Holy Father. "Active charity, in fact, is a criterion that gives evidence of the authenticity of our liturgical celebrations. May the Year of the Eucharist that we are living help diocesan and parish communities to revive this capacity to meet the challenge of so much poverty in our world."

Following the Angelus prayer, Benedict XVI greeted the thousands of Polish faithful present, noting that "today in Warsaw, Poland's Eucharistic Congress concluded. During the solemn concelebration, three sons of that noble nation were inscribed in the book of Blesseds: Ladislao Findysz, Bronislao Markiewicz and Ignacy Klopotowski. I hope this significant ecclesial event contributes to strengthening the spirit of fraternal reconciliation, a necessary basis for building the communion of all those who participate in the one table of Christ."ANG/REFUGEES/... VIS 20050620 (320)

VATICAN CITY, JUN 18, 2005 (VIS) - Twenty bishops of Madagascar were welcomed by the Holy Father this morning who told them, as they conclude their "ad limina" visit, that he hoped the people of their nation "will live in the peace of God and will courageously pursue the building of a society ever more respectful of man and his dignity."

"In this year of the Eucharist," said Benedict XVI, "I especially invite you to renew your attachment to Christ who never ceases giving Himself to us in this Sacrament. Through your exemplary life and your teaching, collaborating actively among yourselves, lead the faithful to friendship with Christ, exhorting them to live an ever more generous charity with regard to their brothers." The Pope noted that the laity, when they are faithful to their vocation, "working to establish a more just society, fighting corruption, insecurity and all forms of exploitation of the poorest, express the solicitude of the Church for the true good of man."

As bishops, stated Pope Benedict, "we must help the faithful entrusted to us to acquire an enlightened faith, rooted in an intimate encounter with Christ. He must be the measure of everything, allowing us to discern where truth is so as to face the problems of today with an authentic fidelity to His teaching. In this perspective the inculturation of faith in Malagasy culture remains an important objective. Welcoming modernity does not exclude, but rather demands this taking root. Sustaining ourselves through an enlightened faith is indispensable for authentic progress in the search for unity of the disciples of Christ."

The Holy Father dedicated closing remarks to priests, the bishops' closest collaborators, noting that, even though "living in difficult conditions, many are generous and close to the people. Sustain them in their difficulties, be for each one of them a father and a demanding guide." Priests must be men of intellectual, spiritual and moral quality who "throughout their lives give witness of an unconditional attachment to the person of Christ and His Church." He urged the bishops to "give priority to serious formation in seminaries and to seek to develop the means for the permanent formation of priests."AL/.../MADAGASCAR VIS 20050620 (370)